Mick Cronin’s first year as head coach of the UCLA Bruins (+50000 to win the national title) isn’t something that’s bringing smiles on the faces of the team’s fans. But they could have just turned a new corner following an impressive win last Sunday. Meanwhile, the Oregon Ducks(+1200) will look to add another victim in conference play.
Betting on the UCLA Bruins (9-9 Overall/2-3 Conference)
The Bruins finally arrested their three-game losing skid with a 50-40 win at home over the California Golden Bears. The Bruins were atrocious on offense, but made sure their opponents were worse. They held California down to only 30.4 percent shooting from the field and forced the Golden Bears to commit 15 turnovers. UCLA had 10 steals, with forward Jalen Hill accounting for four of those. The Bruins were only 41.3 percent from the field and went 4 for 16 from deep, but those are hardly surprising numbers, considering that the Bruins are only shooting 42.8 percent from the field this season so far. The defense will have to click again for the Bruins in order to contain Oregon’s much more efficient offense. On the season, UCLA is allowing 68.5 points per game.
The Bruins are 4-0 against the spread (ATS) in their last four meetings against Oregon.
Betting on the Oregon Ducks (15-4 Overall / 4-2 Conference)
For the Ducks, it pays to have Payton Pritchard on their team. The senior Pritchard had another fantastic outing last Saturday, willing his team to a 64-61 come-from-behind overtime road win over the Washington Huskies. The Ducks were down by as many as 16 points in the second half, but Oregon charged back with Pritchard hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game. Pritchard finished with 22 points with six triples in 45 minutes of action. Pritchard is the focal point and the leader of the Ducks, who are averaging 76.6 points per game on a solid 47.5 field goal shooting percentage. The Ducks are also 18th in the nation with a 54.5 effective field goal percentage. The Bruins will struggle keeping up with Oregon, though, the Ducks will also be pressured to make their shots because UCLA can beat them on the glass.
The Ducks are 3-2 ATS in their last five home games against UCLA.
